1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a thermoplastic elastomer composition having excellent steam permeation resistance and heat distortion resistance, insulating glass using the composition as a sealing material and spacer, a process for producing the insulating glass and a nozzle for producing the insulating glass.
2. Prior Art
Heretofore, there has been known insulating glass constituted such that a sealing material having a predetermined width is charged into a space between the peripheral portions of at least two glass sheets which are opposed to each other in parallel and the hollow layer between the glass sheets is isolated from the outside air for the purpose of an improvement of heat insulating properties, dew condensation prevention properties and the like.
This insulating glass has been produced as follows, for example. As shown in FIG. 7, an aluminum spacer 73 filled with a desiccating agent 72 is placed in a space between the peripheral portions of two glass sheets 71a and 71b which are opposed to each other in parallel and held by a jig or the like to fix a predetermined interval between the glass sheets. Thereafter, a primary sealing material 74 is charged into spaces between the both side surfaces of the spacer 73 and the glass sheets 71a and 71b, and a two-liquid mixing and normal temperature curable type secondary sealing material 75, for example by a polysulfide- or silicone-based sealing material, is charged into a space between the spacer 73 and the opening side of the glass sheets 71 and 71b. 
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Hei 10-158041 discloses a insulating glass production process and apparatus. In the process and apparatus, a plurality of glass sheets are held in a perpendicular direction so that the plurality of glass sheets can be simultaneously moved in the same direction at the same speed, the glass sheets and a die are moved in different unidirections which are perpendicular to each other, the glass sheets and the die are moved relative to each other alternately such that the glass sheets are stopped when the die is moved, and vice versa, and a resin material is extruded onto the peripheral portions of the glass sheets opposed to each other by moving the glass sheets and the die alternately for each side of the glass sheets.
However, since the former production process is carried out by using a jig, spacer and the like, the work becomes complicated and takes much time and labor. On the other hand, the latter process has such a problem that it is difficult to obtain insulating glass having good appearance because the resin material cannot be paved nicely when it is extruded.
In the insulating glass using the normal temperature curable sealing material in the prior art processes, it takes time to cure the sealing material and a final product cannot be promptly shipped. Especially in winter, the sealing material must be placed in a heating chamber for curing.
Therefore, it is desired to improve productivity by simplifying the process for producing insulating glass and shortening the cure time.
In contrast to this, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Nos. Hei 10-110072, Hei 10-114551, Hei 10-114552 and the like propose an invention in which a resin containing a desiccating agent as required is used as a spacer and sealing material in place of the aluminum spacer. The spacer/sealing material proposed in these publications is a composition containing butyl-based rubber and crystalline polyolefin which are preferably mixed at a high temperature.
In insulating glass using this composition, the composition serves as a resin spacer and a sealing material. Insulating glass can be produced in which the peripheral portions of the glass sheets are sealed up by paving the composition on the peripheral portions of two glass sheets opposed to each other with a spacer therebetween. Thus, the production process is simplified. However, in this insulating glass, the glass sheets are not dislocated each other when a load is placed upon the glass sheets at normal temperature but the glass sheets are dislocated each other while a high-temperature sealing material is paved and cured especially when the insulating glass is produced or when the temperature of the outside air rises in summer or by sunlight after the insulating glass is formed into a construction material or the like because the composition which serves as a sealing material and resin spacer contains a small amount of a resin in rubber and hence, is easily deformed at high temperatures.